Extra virgin olive oil is one of the key foods of the Mediterranean diet. Olive oil is considered as the condiment par excellence of traditional Italian dishes and is therefore a common denominator of the Mediterranean areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The use of olive oil in food preparation offers the consumer undoubted health, nutritional and organoleptic advantages already understood in antiquity, so much so that oil is traditionally considered a substance halfway between a food and a medicine (Perez-Jimenez et al., 2005)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Among the many properties of extra virgin olive oil there is certainly that of protecting our arteries. This occurs through the regulation of cholesterol levels circulating in the blood. High levels of LDL cholesterol, also called “bad”, are in fact a cause of the formation of atherosclerotic plaques, those narrowing of veins and arteries which in the long run can cause heart attacks and strokes. With extra virgin olive oil, bad cholesterol levels are lowered. Not only that, but the good one, also known as HDL, is not altered in the slightest. So the olive juice represents, as well as a tasty condiment, an excellent form of prevention of cardiovascular risk (fondazioneveronesi.it)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The extra virgin olive oil is a mine of antioxidants including vitamin E, tocopherol and various phenolic compounds. All molecules capable of defending our body from premature aging by fighting free radicals. The latter are mainly responsible for the cellular damage typical of age. They are particularly reactive forms of oxygen, i.e. very powerful molecules capable of damaging DNA and, in the long run, triggering the genesis of tumours. Thanks to the oil, the antioxidants contained in it neutralize the dangerous radicals thus ensuring longevity to the cells (fondazioneveronesi.it)<\/p>\n\n\n\n